Beauty is Pain: My Experience Trying Epilation

Woman Applying moisturizer to legs while sitting on bed
A Personal Story About My Attempt at Getting a Super Smooth Bikini Line (That Isn’t Waxing)

Hello again friends!

It’s time for another Life Lesson from the Dating Bitch! As you probably know, a lot of my personal stories have been about past relationships and bad breakups.

Today’s post though, is about a very VERY recent experience I had trying epilation.

If you’ve never heard the term before, you’re not alone. I hadn’t either before recently! But Epilation is just another way of removing body hair, like shaving, waxing, or tweezing.

Seeing as epilation relates to both summer and beauty, it’s also another post that could fall into the “Lifestyle” category, but I’m calling it a personal story due to the fact that it does relate to dating and relationships.

And, because there’s a takeaway lesson to be learned. ?

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you make a purchase using any of these links. There is absolutely no additional cost to you, either! See my full disclosure about affiliate links here.

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The Guy

This particular post is mostly about me, but still… I’ll go ahead and keep the typical formula I use for Personal Stories by starting with the guy. ?

If you follow me on social media or you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, chances are, you’ve already heard quite a bit about John.

John is my current love interest – we’ve been together for about 9 months now and he’s one of the only people from my “real life” who’s aware of this blog (in fact, he’s even written a phenomenal guest post about orbiting for me!)

The Situation

It’s Summer right now, so I’ve been spending more time by the pool. Which means I’ve also been spending more time in a bathing suit.

While I totally respect women who choose not to shave at all, I’m not one of them. I shave my legs, my underarms, and yes, I also shave… ahem… down there. And, as all my fellow bikini-shavers out there know, that is the WORST.

For one thing – the skin there is more sensitive, which means it’s more prone to cuts, nicks, and razor burn. Also – no matter how often I shave or how fresh a razor I use, I can never seem to fully remove the stubble. It certainly doesn’t help that I have dark hair, too. Plus, I’ve been blessed with extremely sensitive skin, so, you know… that’s fun. ?

Anyway, since the idea of having visible bikini-line hair makes me incredibly self-conscious, I’m always on the hunt for a more effective method of hair-removal from different razors to using baby-oil instead of shaving cream (which I highly recommend trying.) I’ve even tried waxing, which… uh, no. Never again.

Enter, Epilation.

If you’re not familiar with epilation, it’s similar to waxing in that it pulls the hair out from the root, but unlike waxing it’s done using a mechanical device called an epilator. It also can remove shorter hairs than waxing, takes less time, and isn’t as messy.

But, not going to lie. It hurts like a bitch.

The Experience – Trying Epilation

As soon as I learned about this newfound hair-removal method, I was hell-bent on trying epilation for myself. I figured it had to be better than waxing.

After doing some research about the best epilators to use, I chose to buy the Braun Silk-Epil 9. It certainly wasn’t cheap, but, knowing how low my pain tolerance is, I wanted to make sure to get one with good reviews. (Another alternative, though, if you’re wanting to save some money is the Philips Beauty Satinelle.)

If you’re interested in trying Epilation, here are some other epilators to consider!

Then, it was time to actually try the damn thing.

This is probably not recommended (in fact, I can almost guarantee it’s not), but I decided to start with the bikini area. Really, though, that’s the sole reason I set out on trying epilation. I don’t mind shaving my legs and underarms – even every day during the summer – so I didn’t see a point in using it anywhere else.

You can use an epilator in the shower, but I knew upfront that it wasn’t going to be pleasant, so I opted to do it post-shower while laying down on my bed. (And, yes, it was weird at first.)

I also decided that the best, and easiest way to do this was to have John help me. (And, actually, this wasn’t weird – not even at first.)

To start with, I did the epilation myself and, I have to tell you, it was PAINFUL. I’d say it was almost as painful as waxing, honestly. John, then, was just there for moral support. ?

But, as my lady readers out there know, there are certain spots that are hard to reach, or just more sensitive. When I got to those areas, that’s where having John there really came in handy. That’s right – he did parts of it for me.

I won’t get too graphic here, lest I embarrass him, but let’s just say it was much, much easier having his assistance.

Life Lesson

Having your romantic partner help you with your hair removal is a bit odd, I’ll admit. I know some people do do that for… foreplay (or as a fetish, which, you know – you do you) but this was strictly practical. Trust me – even if I was into that kind of thing, there was nothing sexy or romantic about this experience.

BUT – there is something romantic about having a partner so willing to do that for me. It wasn’t enjoyable for him, either, yet he was attentive, calm, and helpful with it.

He was ALSO supportive of my desire to do this whole hair removal torture thing.

Because, really, I did it for me. He made sure to tell me (especially when I was in so much pain) that he didn’t care if I had hair there or not.

And, I gotta say, that’s goals right there.

So to all of you out there, here’s my life lesson from this personal story: get you someone who’s willing to help you in an uncomfortable or embarrassing situation.

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Conclusion: Trying Epilation for the First Time

Hopefully you enjoyed this post! Next time, I’ll give you some of my best tips for trying epilation because, now that I’ve done it a few times, I’ve got plenty of advice to share.

Have you ever tried epilation? What about waxing? Let me know in the comments below!

And, as always, thanks for reading.

xx
Katie

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25 Comments

  1. avatar

    Thanks for sharing this experience. I will share it with my wife.

  2. avatar

    Reading your story makes me smile! You provide enough detail to paint a picture and put me inside it, and I love that the support of your partner is captured so perfectly in the writing.
    Thanks for sharing!

    1. avatar

      Awe, thank you so much! I was hesitant about this story because I thought people might think it was TMI but I’m glad it was so well received!

  3. avatar

    I’ve never tried epilation! I’ve heard from various people that it hurts! I use an estrid razor now, which is absolutely incredible, so I’m unlikely to sway from this x

    1. avatar

      It definitely does hurt! I use the Billie razor for legs/underarms, but for the bikini line, everything I’ve ever tried has either left a lot of irritation/bumps or hasn’t done a good job of actually removing all unwanted hair. That’s why I really love epilation because once you get past the pain, it delivers the best results. But I totally get why you’d want to stick with what works for you!

  4. avatar

    I think, that’s how it should be! It brings up a topic that a person whom we accompany with is there for us to help out and treat us like the way we want! John seems to be a nice guy who truly try his well to help you out and I guess that’s what all relationships would need most of the time! It’s a great post, Katie! Thanks for sharing!

    1. avatar

      Yes, so important to find someone who can treat you like that. Thanks for reading Biren!

  5. avatar

    I too have a darling partner (my husband) who doesn’t mind helping me with personal grooming so I understand just how great that feels. I can’t shave or wax my lady garden (lol) or remove any hair there as I have a chronic issue with ingrown hairs (even without shaving, etc) so epilation is not for me personally. My husband does go and get me my lovely lotions and creams that I use for that area that help keep ingorwn hairs away — I love that I can tell/show him all about it and he supports me.

    1. avatar

      I love that! It’s so great that you have someone you can really rely on like that.

  6. avatar

    We’re way to chicken for waxing! John sounds amazing btw!

    1. avatar

      Haha, I’m with you on waxing. And he is a sweetheart 🙂

  7. avatar

    Love this post, I’ve heard of epilation before but never had it done so it was interesting to read about it x

    1. avatar

      I was nervous to try it at first too, but I have to say it’s so much better than waxing lol.

  8. avatar
    Alicia Thompson says:

    Hello! I love this post and I love that it’s a little funny! I get my partner to help me sometimes as it can be a two person job! I’ve never even heard of a epilation… maybe I’m behind!! Alicia

    1. avatar

      I hadn’t heard of it prior to this summer either – I definitely recommend looking into it though! It’s a game-changer.

  9. avatar
    Brianna Stryker says:

    John sounds like a sweetheart! This post made me smile. Not many guys would be willing to do that, but I agree, having a partner who helps you during embarrassing situations really shows how much they care. Thanks for sharing this story!

    1. avatar

      It was definitely a first time for me asking a partner to do something so embarrassing, lol. I’m glad it made you smile!

  10. avatar

    I have not tried an epilator but certainly have endured the discomfort of waxing. I look forward to learning more about your experience! Thanks for sharing.

    1. avatar

      Thank you so much! I highly recommend it over waxing.

  11. avatar

    Whoa, I’m way too chicken for any of this. You sound very brave to me!

    1. avatar

      You know, it actually wasn’t so bad once I got used to it.

  12. avatar

    Love this post! I’ve never heard of epilation before. I’m quite a private person when it comes to shaving and hair removal, and I prefer to do it by myself- but sometimes you just need someone else to help out! Thanks for sharing x

    1. avatar

      I totally get that – It was a little weird at first, but it was also incredibly helpful so that’s why I wanted to share the story.

  13. avatar

    This is probably one thing I still pay to have done – waxing! Cos I’m a chicken and can’t inflict pain on myself haha. I love that your other half helped you. It means you guys are comfortable with each other! Thanks for sharing your experience (although I think I’ll have to stick with waxing for now!)

    1. avatar

      I totally understand that – it was definitely difficult to do at first but now I’m used to it and I find it way less uncomfortable than any other hair-removal method I’ve used before.

Let me know your thoughts!

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About Author

30ish Lifestyle blogger, relationship "expert," and modern-day agony aunt.
Sometimes humorous, always honest.